Sense and Sentiment 217 



severity and cruel harshness, between maudhn indul- 

 gence and wise discipline. 



To sentiment, as said above, must be charged 

 many of the ills from which our animal dependents 

 suffer. Our undisciplined puppies — and grown 

 dogs — reared and kept by people of foolishly fond 

 dispositions, are mere nuisances, frequently to whole 

 neighbourhoods ; our caged birds and other domesti- 

 cated pets are not only bought, reared, and con- 

 fined by humanitarians who have much to say (and 

 do) concerning the actions of others in their rela- 

 tions to animals, but themselves, through mistaken 

 kindness, are responsible for a vast amount of suffer- 

 ing among the creatures they assume to foster and 

 protect; the domestic cat, dog, and canary bird 

 perhaps more often suffer from mistaken kindness 

 than any other animals; overfed, overfattened, 

 underexercised, many of them lead miserable lives, 

 — and just how wretched such an existence is, let 

 any of our corpulent, indolent dyspeptics bear wit- 

 ness. 



This foolish ultra-sentimentalism is noticeable to 



